Open up your kitchen cabinet, grab a can of tomato sauce, and make delicious small bites, Italian inspired main dishes, and so many other recipes!

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Growing up in an Italian family, tomato sauce was always a staple in our house. Mom would hit up the can-can sale at the grocery store multiple times – and I’m pretty sure she still does that – to pick up cases of sauce to store in the basement. As long as we had a can of tomato sauce on hand, we could eat some pretty good meals!

Thanks to my parents, tomato sauce is now a major staple in our house, too! Just like mom, I’ll buy a case of crushed tomatoes (just one case!) when they go on sale at the grocery store. I also try to get a pouch of tomato sauce in all of my Hungryroot deliveries.

11 Recipes You Can Make with Tomato Sauce

One 28 ounce can of sauce can go a long way for the two of us! I’ll make a big batch of homemade pasta sauce and freeze it for later. Or I’ll season it with Italian spices and use it on our pizza. It also makes a super easy dipping sauce to heat and eat!

Tomato sauce can go way beyond pasta, but there’s nothing more comforting than a plate of pasta and some homemade sauce. If you’re looking for some new recipes to make using tomato sauce, I’m sharing 11 easy recipes that include pasta, small bites, Italian inspired main dishes, and even breakfast!

Give homemade applesauce an extra boost of flavor with this Slow Cooker Boozy Applesauce recipe made with whiskey, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon!

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Today is the day! Yes, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. Yes, it’s Black Friday. But it’s also the day that I drop everything and spend a good portion of my morning – and, most likely, afternoon – decorating our Christmas tree. Last week, I started breaking out the Christmas decorations, but I always save the day after Thanksgiving for our tree.

Decorating can be exhausting! And the only thing I really want to do after a day of decorating is sit down with a glass of boozy eggnog and a good Christmas movie. So I usually plan a meal in the slow cooker, or order a pizza, I can be as lazy as possible and just enjoy the glow of our Christmas tree! Just keeping it real!

And speaking of our slow cooker – and booze – I recently made a boozy applesauce that was absolutely, could-eat-it-by-the-spoon delicious! I made it with whiskey since we’ve ended up with a small stash in our basement. I’m not much of a whiskey drinker (unless it’s in eggnog). But I like to use it in marinades or when I feel like spoiling my husband with Chocolate Pecan Pie.

A boozy applesauce that’s full of rich flavor!

In my efforts to use up some of the whiskey we have, I’ve been trying to find recipes to use it in. Turns out, it’s pretty darn good in applesauce!

A lot of homemade applesauce recipes call for granulated sugar. But I used light brown sugar. The mixture of brown sugar and whiskey gives this applesauce a richer flavor that’s slightly caramel-like. Stir in some cinnamon and vanilla and boom! You’ve got yourself an amazing, homemade applesauce that you’ll want to put on everything!

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There’s nothing scandalous about how good this Chickpea Puttanesa is! This flavorful Italian sauce gets a healthy boost of protein from canned chickpeas!

The Italian sauce with a scandalous history!

Puttanesca has a “saucy” little history behind it. Apparently, prostitutes used to whip this up between gentlemen because it’s quick and easy to make. It’s also said that the glorious smell of this sauce cooking used to lure clients to them. All I know is that it was the perfect sauce to make to use up some of the canned goods in our kitchen!

Ever since the husband went on his low acid diet, I have been trying to sneak in some of my favorite acidic foods during lunch. I was seriously missing a big bowl of pasta with homemade tomato sauce. After a recent kitchen clean-up-and-out, I discovered that I had everything on hand to make puttanesca.

Puttanesca is a tomato sauce made with garlic, olives, capers, Italian herbs and spices, and other ingredients. It’s super fragrant and flavorful. Served over pasta, it makes an easy weeknight dish!

While I was doing my kitchen cleanout, I also discovered that had chickpeas.

Lots and lots of chickpeas.

I decided to throw a can of chickpeas into this sauce because – well – why not?! Chickpeas are a great source of protein and have many health benefits linked to them. They’re also filling with a subtle, nutty flavor, making them a satisfying addition this pasta sauce!

A mouthful of flavor in every bite!

Even though the Italian prostitutes of years gone by made this sauce because it’s quick, I let this sauce simmer for about 20-30 minutes to really let the flavors come together. I love a good, chunky tomato sauce – one that will stick to every inch of pasta, just like this puttanesca does!

Now, a lot of traditional puttanesca sauces call for anchovies, but I wanted to keep this dish as vegan and vegetarian as possible. Also, I’m just not a fan of those salty little fishes.

Mostly that.

But go ahead and add them for a bit more flavor if that’s your jam. This sauce is tasty enough already without them!

Serve this sassy sauce over whole wheat spaghetti (or your favorite pasta) with crusty garlic bread. Finish it off with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley! This delicious sauce is full of flavor, but light enough to make it perfect for pasta this time of year!